It's The Great Pumpkin, Jimmy Wilson
by daisyb10
Summary: It’s Hallowe’en! With his love, Ally Cameron, by his side, will this be the year that Dr. Gregory House finally sees the Great Pumpkin? This parody is based on “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”, adapted from the works of Charles M. Schultz.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N : **It's Hallowe'en! With his love by his side, will this be the year that Dr.Gregory House finally sees the Great Pumpkin? This parody is based on "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", adapted from the works of Charles M. Schultz.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own House M.D., or any of its characters, nor do I profit from this story.

oOoOo

**_"It's the Great Pumpkin, Jimmy Wilson"_**

Chapter 1

_Every year, just before Hallowe'en, the world-renowned diagnostician,  
__Dr. Gregory House writes to the Great Pumpkin.  
__And every year he waits in the most sincere pumpkin patch he can find, hoping to see his mysterious hero.  
__We join him now at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital …_

**_Dear Great Pumpkin,  
_****_I'm looking forward to seeing you on Hallowe'en. I hope that you will bring me lots of presents …_**

"House, I hope you're not doing what I think you're doing!"  
House looked up from his clipboard to see Dr. Lisa Cuddy and Dr. Jimmy Wilson standing in the doorway of his office.

"I'm just writing a letter, that's all," he said, shielding his work from her prying eyes. "You're always bugging me about not answering my mail and now that I'm working on it, you're giving me a hard time. Sheeesh …. I can't win!" he pouted, as he sunk back into his favourite yellow recliner and pulled his trusty motorcycle jacket tightly around his shoulders.

Lisa glared at House.  
She _knew_ what he was _really_ up to.  
The orange stationery was a dead give-away.

"You're writing to the Great Pumpkin again, aren't you House?"  
"If word ever gets out that my Head of Diagnostic Medicine believes in the Great Pumpkin, I'll be the laughing stock of the AMA!!"

"The Great Pumpkin?" questioned Jimmy Wilson, to no one in particular.

House's blue eyes twinkled with excitement as he leaned forward in his chair to explain.

"Haven't you heard of the Great Pumpkin, Jimmy Wilson? On Hallowe'en night the Great Pumpkin rises out of his pumpkin patch and flies through the air with his bag of toys for all the children."

"You must be crazy House … aren't you confusing the Great Pumpkin with Santa Claus?" Jimmy Wilson said.

House sighed.  
There was no point in continuing.  
No one _ever_ believed him.

"Fine. Have it your way …" he said sadly, "go ahead … laugh at me."

And they did.

"There are three things that I've learned never to discuss with people: politics, why Lisa Cuddy dresses so inappropriately for work and the Great Pumpkin."

"C'mon Jimmy Wilson, let's go to your office." Lisa huffed, leading Jimmy Wilson towards the door. "Get back to work, House … your _real_ work!"

"The Great Pumpkin my aaaaa ……" Her voice faded away as she left the office.

"Hey Lisa?" House shouted after her, "You're right! The Great Pumpkin is about the same size as your aaaaa….."

House's smirk was accompanied by a dainty giggle from across the room.

Dr. Ally Cameron grinned and looked up from the Lupus text she was studying at his desk.  
"You say the funniest things," she laughed.

House smiled.  
He knew she was laughing at his joke, not at him.

It had been a wonderful month.

House was so happy that Ally had come back to PPTH that he used any excuse he could think of to visit the Emergency Department where she worked as the new Senior Attending.

And_ today_ was the icing on the cake as far as he was concerned.  
She had come to see him; ostensibly, to borrow a book.  
But they both knew better, though they wouldn't say.

"Ally …" House said shyly, "Would you like to join me in the pumpkin patch this year?" he asked hopefully.

She smiled a smile that outshone her golden hair. "Oh, I'd love to."  
"I'd better be going now. Bye House, thank you for lending me your book." she said sweetly.

He returned to his letter to make one _very_ important change.

**_Dear Great Pumpkin,  
_****_I'm looking forward to seeing you on Hallowe'en. I hope that you will bring me and Ally lots of presents …_**

House was soooo excited!  
This Hallowe'en, for the very first time, he would have company with him in the pumpkin patch. Surely they would see the Great Pumpkin this year!

But first, House had to mail his letter.  
He raced out of the hospital and drove to the nearest Post Office.

oOoOo

Department of Oncology, James Wilson M.D.

Every day when he arrived for work, Jimmy Wilson would ask his secretary the same old question. "I don't suppose there's any mail for me, is there Marjorie?"

But today, instead of a "Nope …" Marjorie handed him an envelope.  
For once, he had mail!

Jimmy Wilson danced with joy.

"I got an invitation to Hallowe'en party. I've never been invited to a party before."

"Is it an invitation to Violet Vogler's Hallowe'en Hootenanny?"  
Lisa scowled as Jimmy Wilson nodded. "Your name must have wound up on the wrong list. You were on the, **don't invite** list."

Just then, Ally Cameron walked by the door.  
"Hi Ally, there's going to be a Hallowe'en Hootenanny!" said Jimmy Wilson. "Did you get an invitation? Hey, there's Violet too!" Ally Cameron looked through her mail.

"Yes, yes I did. Hi Violet, thanks for the invitation," she said, as she greeted the raven-haired beauty.

"I wonder if House will take me …", for as much as she wanted to go to the party, Ally wanted to be with her "sweet baboo" even more.

"House? There's _no way_ he'll go to Violet's party," laughed Lisa. "He'll be out in the pumpkin patch, just like he is every Hallowe'en, making a fool of himself all over again."

"Boy, House is strange," Violet chimed in. "He's always missing all the fun. Gotta go … see you tonight at my party."

"Maybe there_ is_ a Great Pumpkin!" Ally said, defending her sweetheart.  
"_Yea, right_ …" they answered, turning to other things.

But Ally soon forgot about the Great Pumpkin.  
It was time to get ready for Hallowe'en!

The gang decided they would all be ghosts and scampered off to the hospital's linen supply closet to grab some sheets for their costumes.  
That is everyone, except Lisa.

It wasn't long before Jimmy Wilson's office was filled with ghosts of all shapes and sizes, and even though they were dressed the same, it wasn't hard to figure out who everyone was.

They guessed Ally first – 'cause only a girl would be a princess ghost and wear a tiara on her head. Jimmy Wilson was a friendly ghost, with a bright yellow happy face painted around his eye-holes.

They stared at the ghost wearing a sheet full of holes. "Chase, is that you?"

"Yep, it's me," Dr. Chase said, as he struggled to see. "I had a little trouble with the scissors … I _still_ don't have the holes for my eyes in the right spot!"

Suddenly the filthiest ghost they had ever seen walked through the door.  
"Hi guys, sorry I'm late."  
"Dr. Foreman, what happened to your costume?" Jimmy Wilson asked.  
"I took a shortcut through the alleyway just as the janitor was emptying a bin into the dumpster," he said, as the clouds of dust settled at his feet.

"Hey everybody, look at me … I'm a witch!" Lisa shouted with glee.  
She vogued for the gang in a sultry, black robe, a hideous green mask and an orange cone-shaped hat that was festooned with golden stars.

"Why Lisa, that costume … it's you!" quipped Ally.

"Thanks Ally. Hey, who's that?" Lisa asked, pointing at a strange figure in the room, dressed in a bright green aviator's cap, goggles and a jaunty red scarf.

Jimmy Wilson explained. "It's my dog, Hector. He's always wanted to be a World War I Flying Ace."

As the group left the hospital, Lisa decided that _she_ would take charge of the evening's activities … Flying Ace or no Flying Ace,

"Should we take my car?" Jimmy Wilson offered.

"No, let's walk. That way we can go trick-or-treating on the way to Violet Vogler's party." she declared.

But when their backs were turned, Hector slipped off into the night.

oOoOo

While House waited anxiously in the pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin to appear, he decided to pass the time with a little music.

He reached into his backpack, unrolled his portable keyboard and began to sing. Soon the night sky was filled with the dulcet tones of his rich baritone voice.

_I wish you a Happy Hallowe'en,  
__I wish you a Happy Hallowe'en,  
__I wish you a Happy Hallowe'en,  
__The Great Pumpkin is near._

House spotted a black cat staring at him from atop a nearby fence. "Do you have any requests? What's that? Orange Pumpkin? That's one of my favourites!"

_I'm dreaming of a Great Pump-kin,  
__Just like the one I want to fly,  
__While its orange rind glistens,  
__The children listen,  
__To hear, it zooming through the sky … _

"Oooo, you'll like this one too …" he continued.

_Ohhhh, youuuu, better watch out,  
__You better not cry,  
__You better not shout,  
__I'm telling you why,  
__The Great Pumpkin is com-ing to towwwnnnn …._

Just then the gang walked by.  
"Have you come to sing pumpkin carols with me?" House asked.  
"You're a moron House. You're going to miss all of the fun again," Lisa said.

"How dare you say that!" House exclaimed. "I know that the Great Pumpkin will come this year because this is, without a doubt, the most sincere pumpkin patch in all of Princeton."

"Oh good grief!"  
Ally's heart ached for House.  
Their eyes met.  
She ran to stand by his side.

"You go on ahead, Lisa … I'm going to stay with House." she called.  
"Suit yourself," Lisa's answered, as she marched off with her ghostly entourage trailing behind her.

House grinned.

He led Ally to a soft patch of pumpkin leaves, where they sat and leaned against the fence. House tentatively slipped an arm around her shoulder and smiled when she snuggled closer at his touch.

"Just think Ally. Soon you'll see the Great Pumpkin with your very own eyes! The Great Pumpkin_ has_ to pick this patch. I checked them all out – this is the _most _sincere patch in all of Princeton."

_And people wonder why I love him so … _thought Ally.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Despite her mocking, Lisa had not forgotten about House.

**"Trick or Treat … Trick or Treat"**

As the gang ran from door to door, collecting their goodies, Lisa held up a second bag, in addition to her own.  
"Can I have some extra candy for my stupid friend?" she demanded at each house. "He couldn't come with us because he's waiting for the Great Pumpkin."

"This is _so_ embarrassing," Lisa sighed.

"I got a chocolate bar," said Foreman.  
"I got a quarter!" added Chase.  
"I got a lump of coal," said Jimmy Wilson sadly.

And still, no had noticed that Hector was missing.

oOoOo

Hector scoured the streets of Princeton.  
As the dusk faded to dark, his despair grew.

_It has got to be around here somewhere … I saw it yesterday when Mom dropped me off to visit Daddy …_

Hector stopped in his tracks.  
There it was.

The most magnificent dog house he had ever seen.  
It had shutters and doors, and was paneled in wood painted red as the ripest tomato.

Hector climbed on the roof and clutched the stick of his Sopwith Camel,  
then fired up the engine and soared into the autumnal sky.

**_Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-tat!  
_The World War I Flying Ace fires his machine guns.**

**_Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-tat!  
_The Red Baron fired back!**

**Curse you Red Baron!  
The brave pilot went down with his plane.**

The World War I Flying Ace found himself trapped behind enemy lines in Plainsboro. He took shelter where he could, but pressed on fearlessly towards his goal.

oOoOo

After they finished trick-or-treating, the gang stopped off at the pumpkin patch to drop off House's candy and pick up Ally.  
They were stunned when she decided to skip Violet's party.

"You're just as much of a moron as your boyfriend, Ally!" sneered Lisa.  
Although House was furious at Lisa for calling Ally a moron, he liked being called her boyfriend.

"We're not morons Lisa," shouted Ally,  
"Just wait until the Great Pumpkin comes … my Greggie knows what he's doing.  
The Great Pumpkin _will_ be here!"

_My Greggie … I'm her Greggie? … _House beamed with pride.

But deep down inside, as much as she wanted to believe him, Ally was beginning to have her doubts.

As soon as they left, Ally turned to House and asked,  
"All right, we're alone Greg … just _where_ is this Great Pumpkin?!"

"Just be patient, my love …" he whispered, as she nestled in his arms.

oOoOo

While Ally and House scanned the dark, pumpkin-filled horizon, the rest of their friends were having a blast at Violet Vogler's Hallowe'en Hootenanny!

They ate caramel apples and popcorn balls, danced to "The Monster Mash" and played Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Wombat.

It was great fun!

But the highlight of the evening was when Chase bobbed for one apple too many.

"Will this embarrassment never end?" Lisa cried, as she began mouth-to-mouth-resuscitation.

"Th-thank you Lisa," Chase sputtered.

"You're not the sharpest scalpel on the instrument tray … are you Chase?" Lisa said harshly, snarking more out of fear than of anger. "C'mon everyone, it's time to go home … and Chase, next time … just be careful, okay?"

oOoOo

Meanwhile, back in the pumpkin patch, Ally sighed a very long sigh.

"What's wrong, angel?" House asked.

As much as she tried, she couldn't hide her disappointment.

When House asked her to spend the evening with him in the pumpkin patch, the last thing she expected was to _really_ spend the evening with him in a pumpkin patch!

She had honestly thought that "pumpkin patch" was just one of House's euphemisms for something much more romantic.

"Nothing sweetheart … It's just I never expected, in my wildest dreams, that I'd be spending Hallowe'en here … with you." she said gently.

"I know …" he said enthusiastically, "it's great, isn't it?"

"Just think Ally, when the Great Pumpkin rises out of this pumpkin patch tonight, we'll be here to see him together!"

Suddenly, there was a rustling in the nearby pumpkin vines!

Could it be?  
Was the Great Pumpkin about to appear?

House saw a dark, ominous shape rising in the distance.  
His heart pounded …  
And then House fainted!

Ally stepped gingerly towards the shadowy figure.  
She stopped.  
It wasn't the Great Pumpkin, the Lesser Pumpkin or any other pumpkin for that matter.  
It was Hector, The World War I Flying Ace!

When House's eyes finally fluttered open, he eagerly asked,  
"What happened? Did I see him? Did the Great Pumpkin leave us toys?"

There were no toys, nor a Great Pumpkin.  
There was only a dog named Hector.

Tears poured down Ally Cameron's rosy cheeks.  
She couldn't believe that House had tricked her into spending the night with him in a pumpkin patch!

"Is this some sick, twisted plan you've devised to punish me for resigning? For leaving you? We could have gone to a lovely party, but instead you've kept me waiting here on a cold dark night, for what? For Hector? You've ruined my Hallowe'en, House!"

Just then the gang stopped by the pumpkin patch on their way home to check on Ally and House.

Ally was furious. But House wouldn't give up.

"Hey, it's great you're all here. We can wait and greet the Great Pumpkin together. It won't be long now!" House shouted.

They all just walked away. Ally started to leave too.

"Ally … don't go." House said softly.

"I'm sorry Greg. I'm cold and I'm tired. Don't stay up too late."

House watched sadly as she left with the others.

"If the Great Pumpkin comes, I'll still put a good word in for you!" House called after them.

"Good Grief! Have I ruined everything? I said _**if**_, not_ when_!" cried House.

"One little slip like that can cause the Great Pumpkin to pass you by," he said, with panic in his voice.

"Oh Great Pumpkin … where are you? …"

oOoOo

**Ding - ding! Ding - ding!**

It was four in the morning.  
Ally Cameron could not sleep.

She jumped out of bed, threw on her clothes and called a taxi.  
A bright yellow cab pulled up in front of her apartment within minutes.

"Where to, lady?"  
"The pumpkin patch please, at the corner of Elm and Maple."

Ally stared out the window with a heavy heart.  
_I should have never left him alone … what if someone hurts him …_

"We're here lady … that will be $11.50."  
"Just wait please, until I check on my friend."  
"The clock's tickin' lady …"  
"Here's a twenty for your trouble." Ally pressed the bill into the cabby's hand.

_House's motorcycle … it's still by the gate …  
_It was a good sign.

She buttoned her coat and ran through the patch.

And there he was.  
Curled up and asleep, he shivered in the cold.  
His limbs poked out from under his makeshift blanket – his beloved motorcycle jacket.

She reached out to touch him, but stopped when she noticed the bright orange harvest moon shining benevolently on House.

Could it possibly be true?

Had the Great Pumpkin come?

"House … House … Greg …" Ally whispered, "It's time to go …"

"Ally?" House said, as he started to stir.

"Are you okay?" she asked helping him to his feet.

"Just a little cold. What are you doing here?" he asked, brushing a tear from her eye.

"I came to bring you home."

oOoOo

They rode on House's motorcycle back to Ally's apartment.  
She took off his muddy shoes, made him some nice hot chocolate with teeny-tiny marshmallows and tucked him into bed.

Another Hallowe'en had come and gone.

"I'm sorry Ally … I just wanted you to see the Great Pumpkin with me, that's all … I wasn't trying to punish you for leaving me …" he said as he drifted off to sleep.

"I know sweetheart," she said, stroking his brow, "but don't worry, we still have a lifetime of Hallowe'ens ahead of us …"

"Does that mean? …"  
"I love you Greg. I'll never leave you again." she whispered.  
"I love you too, Ally Cameron."

And they kissed goodnight.

oOoOo

The next day, Jimmy Wilson spotted House leaning on the brick balcony outside their offices.

He joined him and draped a comforting arm around his friend's shoulder.

"Don't take it too hard House. I've done lots of stupid things in my life too."

"Duh … don't I know it! But waiting for the Great Pumpkin isn't stupid Jimmy Wilson!" House replied. "In fact, it's the smartest thing I've ever done."

Jimmy Wilson studied the enigmatic smile that crept across House's face.

"Something happened to you last night House … what was it?  
Did you see the Great Pumpkin? Is that why you're smiling?"

"No Jimmy Wilson … I didn't see the Great Pumpkin …"  
House paused for a moment, overcome with love for his beautiful Ally Cameron.

"But just wait until next year," he continued enthusiastically,  
"You'll see, Jimmy Wilson. I'll find a pumpkin patch that's real sincere and I'll wait until the Great Pumpkin rises up …"

And who knows?

Maybe next year …

**The End**


End file.
